Unfinished Business
by lizb1813
Summary: Episode tag 2x13. Because who in their right mind would leave it like that! Not complete.
1. Chapter 1

Okay! Here's my take on what happens after the screen goes black. And who knows, I may add on to it. Probably not. Also, only read by yours truly. (PS - if you want to discuss the season finale, come talk to me! Eek!)

TLS is not mine.

****TLSDDG151****

Sounds of muted revelry could be heard from his crew as Tom shut his hotel door. Making his way over to one of the end tables in his room, he placed the envelope from Rachel within arm's reach of his bed. Breathing deeply, the captain slowly began unbuttoning the uniform he had worn for over twenty years. _The last time I wore this-_

BANG.

Tom braced for impact, knowing instinctively that the sound had been a bullet discharging from a handgun. The seasoned vet reached for his service weapon next to the unopened letter and sprinted for the door, not knowing what awaited him on the other side. Haphazardly throwing the door open, Tom cleared the hallway in front of him and turned left, where he thought the sound came from. Tom methodically walked down the hall, gun raised high in front of him. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he sensed a blur raising something towards him.

"SIC SEMPER TY—"

The captain calmly double-tapped the man about ready to shoot him in the chest, and bypassed his dropped body, not thinking twice.

Tom didn't blink as he took in the crumpled form halfway down the hall. _No, no no no NO!_ he shouted in his brain as his feet quickly ate up the distance. He didn't bother to sweep the area as he slid to a stop beside her.

"Rachel! _Rachel!_ Can you hear me? Rachel!?" Tom called to her as he stripped off his dark blazer. Carefully he tried to staunch the bleeding as much as he could.

"C'mon, doc! You can't do this. Your job isn't done. Wake up!"

Rachel's eyes barely fluttered as the captain called out to her. Gently, Tom tapped her cheek.

"Come on, come on, come on," Tom's mantra began as he felt around her back for an exit wound. Finding the blood gushing out back, Tom ripped off his tie and blouse, leaving him in his undershirt. Stuffing the blouse to her back, he hoped the pressure would keep some of the blood in. Knowing that everybody was still partying below, Tom gently lifted her into his arms. Cradling her, he quickly but carefully ran back down the hall to his unlocked room.

"T-o…."

"That's right, doctor, wake up. I'm placing you back under arrest - you're not allowed to go anywhere without guards. Nope," Tom continued with his hurried speech as he gently laid her on the bed.

Quickly ripping her dress open, Tom made a better dressing for her still bleeding wound.

"Stay right here, hon - I'm going to get Rios," Tom gently kissed her forehead, grabbed his key, slammed the door shut, and sprinted for the stairs.

"Why do the phones have to still be out?! Why can't this god-forsaken hotel have working anything?!" Tom mumbled as he leaped down the stairs, not bothering to grimace as he took too giant of a leap. _Please help Rios to be sober, Please help Rios to be sober_ , Tom recited to himself as he burst into the melee of his crew singing.

Singing abruptly stopped as the crew took in the blood-stained shirt and arms of their captain.

"Rios! With me! Green, Tex - perimeter of my room. Miller, Burke, Wolfe - secure the 3rd floor. XO have the building secured. Nobody in or out. Everybody else to their rooms. Be on alert. NOW!" Tom quickly barked out to his crew. Drunk or not, everybody hustled to comply.

"Are you—"

"Where's your bag, doctor?" Tom called as he sprinted back up the stairs, Rios, Miller, Burke, Wolfe, Green, & Tex hot on his heels.

"My room."

"Tex with the Doc. Room 33 ASAP - Rachel's been shot."

Tex and Rios veered out the door on the second floor as the other four followed their captain up the next flight of stairs.

"Sir…?" Green asked as they made it to the third floor landing. Tom quickly reached his door as Burke, Wolfe, and Miller secured the rest of the floor.

"Not now," Tom replied as he struggled to open his door. "Nobody in or out unless they're crew. Understand, Green?" Tom handed him his service weapon as Tom slammed open the door.

"Aye, aye, sir!" Danny called as he stood watch in front of the captain's door. Shaking his head to ward off the drunken stupor, he diligently stood waiting for a wrong move.

Tom raced into the room, hoping that his - _what even do I call her? Friend seems too common… and something more isn't correct. Worry about that later, Chandler!_ he chastised himself - was okay.

"Come on, Rachel, you've got to pull through this! Wake up! Rios is going to be here any second! You've still got to operate on me. Come on, come on, come on," his mantra carried on as he ripped up bed linen to exchange his coat and shirt with.

"T-o….m…" Rachel shakily voiced.

"Right here, Rach, right here," he softly called as he crowded his face to hers, also trying to keep pressure on her wounds. "Stay awake, please," Tom begged as tears streaked down his face. "You can't leave. You can't."

"So… cold…"

"Hold on, I can help with that."

Tom hurriedly reached for the extra blanket in the room and wrapped it around her.

"Th…annk…. you."

"No, it's me who should be thanking you. Just stay awake, okay? Please, Rachel, just stay awake," Tom begged as the tears kept falling.

 _Damnit Rios! Where are you?!_ Tom raged in his head.

"T…om…?" Tom looked on in horror as her face continued to lose color.

"Yes, doctor?"

"Make…. make…. s..ure… you…. rea…d my… le…tter," Rachel struggled to get out.

"Nope, you're going to read that letter to me yourself. I'm not letting you out of my sight again, you hear me? Rachel?"

"Good…b…" Rachel breathed as her hand went slack in his.

"No, no, NO, NO NO NO!" Tom yelled as he frantically started chest compressions.

"RIOS!" Tom screamed as he kept up the chest compressions.

"Here, Captain!" Rios called as he burst through the door.

"Get your six over here now!"

"Tex radioed the _James_ \- they're sending the chopper. ETA 3 mics," Rios called as he climbed onto the bed next to Rachel.

"She's breathing, Captain, you can stop chest compressions," Rios said as he took out his stethoscope.

Tom backed off of her and went to his knees beside the bed. Rios opened up his med kit and immediately grabbed a package that looked like it had salt in it.

"What….?"

"It'll stop the bleeding. It won't fix anything, but it will staunch it so she's not bleeding out," Rios answered as he poured it all over her chest wound.

"Turn her over slowly, Captain," Rios instructed as he took a fist-full of the stuff and placed it on the exit wound.

"Place her down slowly and then grab me the bath towels."

Tom hurried to comply, reaching the spot he just vacated seconds later. "I'll roll her slightly and you put the folded towel under her to catch any stray blood. Same with her front."

Tom nodded jerkily as he did as the medical corpsman instructed. Rios quickly and efficiently placed an I.V. in her arm, knowing that he'd need lots of replacement blood once they returned to med bay.

The _thwap thwap thwap_ of the Seahawk could be heard getting closer.

"Have Tex radio them and tell them we're coming to the roof," Tom called as he gently lifted the woman, blanket and all, into his arms.

"Aye, aye," Rios called as he raced to the door and barked out the captain's orders to Tex, and yelling for Green to hit the elevator. What seemed like forever, when in actuality was seconds, the elevator dinged, announcing its presence.

"Tex, Green, on me," Tom ordered as the five hustled into the elevator.

"When we get to the top floor, you clear the area in front of us and find the roof access. The three of us will be right behind you," Tom said as the doors slid closed.

Rachel began to start shivering as the elevator ascended.

"Rios, adjust the blanket," Tom said as he held his precious cargo closer to his chest. Rios quickly complied, trying not to jostle her I.V.

Tom leaned closer to her ear, whispering, "Come on, Rach, just a little more time and we'll be home. Come on, doc, don't give up on me yet."

The ding of the elevator signaled their arrival to the twentieth floor as the doors opened up. The men quickly found the closest stairwell and made their way up. By the time Tom had reached the roof with Rachel in his arms, Green and Tex had broken the emergency door wide open for the others to see the Seahawk hovering a foot off of the roof.

"Green, Tex, you're coming with us," Tom yelled over the propeller blades as they made their way to the helicopter. The doors opened up as Tom reached the side, and gloved hands reached out to take Rachel from him. Shaking his head, Tom stepped up into the chopper and yelled, "As fast as you can, Collingwood! Damn the civilian airspace guidelines!"

Collingwood nodded as he soared the bird into the air, taking it as fast as he dared towards the nearby ship.

Tom looked down at his charge, noticing some color returning to her face. _Thank the Lord,_ Tom thought as he held her tight. _You're getting through this, hon. You're too stubborn not to,_ Tom thought to himself as Collingwood touched down gently on the aft deck of the _James_. Although only a skeleton crew had been left to guard the fuel-less DDG, two crew members stood waiting with a stretcher between them, ready to bolt to the helicopter as soon as it was safe it.

Leaning down towards Rachel one last time, Tom whispered, "Okay, babe, it's all up to you, now. Rios will do his best, but only you can decide how this plays out. I know you are the fiercest fighter of us all, so don't you give up on me, you here? We have unfinished business," Tom ended his unheard speech with a quick kiss to her forehead, and gently climbed down from the Seahawk. The two sailors were by his side instantly with the stretcher and Rios could be heard shouting orders. After reverently placing her down on the stretcher, all Tom could look at was Rachel being hustled away to med bay, hoping and praying that the hero of mankind would live to see another day.


	2. Chapter 2

So, yeah, I couldn't leave the first chapter how it was. Ummm... this probably isn't the direction you thought it was going... and neither did I... but I can't do all lovey-dovey gooey-ness. It's not me. This here? More my style. *evil grin*

The walk back to his cabin was made on autopilot. Knowing that he was still first and foremost a captain in the United States Navy, Tom knew he would have to wait for updates from Rios or someone else from medical. He couldn't pace the passageway and do nothing. _It's a good thing I shot the weasel that did this before I knew what he had done_ , Tom thought to himself as he passed over knee-knockers and climbed the ladders to his quarters.

 _Shooting him was too easy of an out. Rachel, please pull through. The world needs you… the crew needs you… and yes, I even need you._ Tom shook himself out of his reverie as he stripped his blood-soaked undershirt and threw it into the trash in his stateroom.

Quickly perusing the computer screens, he noticed that the _James_ now held almost 90% of her fuel capacity, and that a few new Tomahawk missiles had been loaded; a destroyer in the Mississippi was a sitting duck - Tom wanted to be prepared if something happened. All of the other repairs could wait until the ship went to dry-dock in two days.

Walking over to the head, he turned on his shower as hot as it would go, thanking his lucky stars that he could take a long, hot shower with 95% of the crew on shore. Stripping the rest of the way, he walked into his small walk-in, rested his head, and cried. He cried for his deceased crew & wife, for the toll the past month had taken on him, for his children, and for the woman fighting for her life a few decks below him. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Tom noticed the blood streaking down his arms and hands, pooling at the drain, causing him to sob even more. _This will be the only time I can do this_ , the strong captain thought to himself. _Captains really are their own island; we don't have anybody to talk or vent to. Oh, Darien, what do I do? I miss you, but…_ Tom sighed. _I think I'm falling for somebody else, sweetheart, and I know you'd want another mother figure for our kids, but I… I feel like I'm betraying you. And who knows if she'll even survive?_

Shaking his head, Tom pushed all worries out of his head. He had a new mission that he needed to be even stronger for. _No signs of weakness. None. Leave it in the shower, Chandler,_ he reprimanded. Standing in the hot spray, the captain scrubbed all of the blood off of him, and quickly washed off. Stepping out he grabbed a towel and wiped off the mirror. Wearing his captain's facade once more, Tom meticulously shaved and dressed in his NWUs, knowing that he needed to hear the sit rep for the _James_ and Rachel. Preferably not in that order.

Tom walked through the ship, thinking about how eerie it was without the crew. Although he'd been in the Navy for over twenty years, being on a ship with a skeleton crew never got any less creepy. Sooner than Tom was ready for, he came to sick bay. Looking in through the hatch Tom could see Rios and a another corpsman working on Rachel. Rocking back on his heels, he leaned up against the nearest bulkhead and decided that since there was hardly anybody on board he could stay for a time to wait for any news. Tom lost track of time as he waited for Rios to come out. Finally looking down at his watch, the captain realized it had been a few hours and he backtracked up to the bridge, not wanting to play the waiting game any longer.

"Captain on the bridge!" a junior ensign called.

"As you were," Tom called as he made his way over to his station.

"Sit rep, Ensign."

"Aye, aye, sir. The fuel…," Tom half-listened as the junior officer recited back all that the James had taken on in the past few days since arriving in St. Louis.

"Lookouts?"

"One port, starboard, aft and fore, sir. The shift is about ready to change."

"Engines?"

"As ready as they can be, sir. Two Petty Officers have been going over them and making notes for—"

The ensign never finished her sentence as the nearest window shattered and her chest blew open due to a bullet's impact. Tom and the other officer on the bridge dropped to their knees, not knowing if they were next.

"Radio the RIBs - tell them we're under attack!" Tom ordered as he crawled over and crouched to pull the general quarters alarm. The loud, obnoxious klaxon soon rang all over the ship as - Tom counted to himself - hopefully - 25 junior sailors sprang to work.

Slowly and cautiously Tom raised his head to look over the nearest rail, thanking his lucky stars for the solid metal. Spying the small armada making their way towards the _James,_ Tom quietly cursed to himself. Turning off GQ, Tom called out, "Get out of here, Smith! That's an order! We don't have enough people to hold off an attack."

"But sir! We don't just give up the ship!"

"We're not," Tom replied cryptically but calmly. "You know who was on the ship and where they were - get everyone on that RIB! You have three minutes! And don't forget sickbay. And Smith, leave even if I'm not there."

"Aye, aye!" Smith bolted through the open hatch and down the ladder, leaving Tom alone with his thoughts.

"Attention Nathan James. Abandon ship!" Tom announced through the ship's speakers.

 _Let's hope I can still remember where Cossetti kept his charges. Sorry, old girl. You've put up a good fight. Maybe we'll be able to repair you._ Tom, for the second time in a few hours, took off to save Rachel, only this time he slid down the ladders on the rails, knowing time was of the essence.

 _Let's hope you're done, Rios, or we're going to have words._ Tom quickly stopped by the armory, telling the guard to head aft and leave, and quickly grabbed the gear he needed: his vest, NVGs, an M4 with extra clips strapped onto his vest, and a bag full of rope and explosives. Running down the passageway, about ready to attach explosives, Tom skidded to a stop next to sickbay, not expecting to see anyone. However, his expression turned from man-on-a-mission to livid in a split second.

"What are you still doing here?!" Tom yelled as he pushed open the door.

"I was readying her—" Rios replied as Tom viciously cut him off.

"Out! Now! Go, Rios! Petty Officer! Aft deck!" Tom ordered as he strode over and lifted Rachel into his arms.

"She really shouldn't be moved—"

"And we shouldn't be under attack! Did you finish the surgery?" Tom called as they made their way through the bowels of the ship.

"Yes, just barely. Luckily it was a through-and-through, and it didn't break any bones. She's still down a little bit of blood, but she'll be waking up in a little bit - I took the anesthesia off a little early - but we had just finished," Rios called over his shoulder, bag in hand. The quartet burst onto the same deck the helo had just landed on mere hours before, Tom still cradling a sleeping Rachel to his chest.

"Go! Climb over the railing and down to the RIB!" ordered Tom as sounds of gunfire erupted on the port side of the ship.

"What about Rachel, sir?" the corpsman called.

Tom hurriedly looked around for the basket, but realized that this was not the normal point of departure.

"Go! We'll be right behind you!" Tom ordered as he gently set Rachel on the deck. Throwing off his gear, not caring for his own safety, Tom strapped the vest on to her as tight as he dared. Placing a charge in each pocket, and an M4 on his back, Tom gently scooped her up as he would a small child.

"Good thing you're small, Rachel, or this would never work, and your legs would be tripping me up," Tom murmured as her head rested on his shoulder. Grabbing some rope out of his bag one-handed, Tom put some of his Academy training to good use as he quickly lashed her to him. Glancing over the starboard rail Tom could see that Smith and most of the other sailors were accounted for, waiting for the Captain and doctor.

Just as Tom stepped up to maneuver over the handrail, he heard the sounds of the ship being boarded on the port side.

Cursing silently to himself, Tom reached into his pocket. "Smith! Catch!" called Tom as he tossed an explosive down. Smith caught the package with soft hands.

"Attach it at the water line. Now!" Tom called as he tried to quickly but safely lower himself with a body attached to him.

"Time, sir?"

"2 mics," Tom called as he heard shouts and gunfire starting to spray around his head. Setting the other explosive for 30 seconds, he tossed it as far as he could portside, hoping to take out a few of their attackers.

Knowing he only had moments, Tom murmured, "Sorry, Rachel," as he released himself for the 10 foot drop into the Mississippi. _Rios is going to kill me for this_ , Tom thought as he opened his legs like scissors, trying to keep Rachel's head above water. As Tom tried to swim to the RIB and release Rachel from him, the sound of gunfire once again erupted all around him. Smith tried to fire back while on the RIB, but Tom watched on in horror as the Petty Officer was mowed down. Others on the RIB tried to shoot back, but these weren't sailors with much fighting experience. Just then a large BOOM sounded far to close, and parts of the ship started raining down on the survivors.

 _They tried throwing it back towards us,_ Tom thought as he struggled to place Rachel in the RIB. _That second charge is going to blow any second._

"Start the engine!" Tom roared as he pulled himself in. Crouching over her, he slung his M4 from his back and took up position trying to take out the men still firing on him.

"GO GO GO!" Tom called as the RIB sputtered to life and took off into the black. Not a second too soon, another loud explosion rocked the _James._ Metal parts rained down on the survivors in the RIB as they sped off towards land. Tom looked back at his ship once as he checked Rachel over to make sure she was in relatively good shape. The once proud destroyer sat crippled in the water, spewing smoke.

Tom helped staunch bleeding of his sailors the best he could as they sped towards shore. Doing a head count, Tom found that there were only 15 of the 25 that should have made it. Shaking his head, he continued helping the wounded, keeping a close eye out for any pursuers.

"Where's everyone else?" Tom asked.

"The first explosion and gunfire took them out, sir."

Tom ground his teeth and shook his head. "Get us to the dock, now. And call ahead for help."

"Sorry, sir, radio's been shot to pieces," called another one of the sailors.

Just as Tom was about to give another order, a loud explosion could be heard. The hotel where the entire crew - and the president - resided lit up the St. Louis night sky. All looked on in horror.


	3. Hold up!

Hello everyone! Not an update, per say.

I don't normally post start posting stories until they're all of the way written - hence why I posted chapter 1 right away. However, with all of the support, I decided to save her in chapter 2. Yeah, that didn't turn out too well. My thought process just had to go in a totally different way. Trust me, I'm as surprised as you are.

So... this means that I'm actually going to outline the rest of it & then write it before I post it. I'm not normally one of the "post a chapter at a time" kind of folks - I like to have it all mapped out. That's why this story was such a surprise.

I will finish this - I've already started - however, I just moved to a brand new country, have a brand new job, I'm looking for a house, a car, living in a hotel... so yeah, I'm a little stressed.

But, since i started, I will finish. Don't know when, but it will be completed.

Fair winds & following seas, shipmates!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone. First off, I want to apologize for not updating this story; life has gotten in the way. I had planned on updating this story this summer once the new season started up. However, I quit watching The Last Ship after the first 45 seconds of the new season. I don't agree with the show's decision to kill off almost every single female. Especially Rachel. So I'm done. It was great while it lasted, shipmates! Good luck to those of you who have reenlisted.


End file.
